Bending machine



W. C. TUCKER' BENDING MACHINE Sept. 17, 1940.

Filed April 14, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 77% KQZLQQ/L Y M QM r Qmuz ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 17, 1940 PATENT OFFl BENDING MACHINE William 0. Tucker, Kenmore, N. Y., assignor to Buffalo Forge Company, Buffalo, N. Y.

Application April 14, 1938, Serial No. 201,996

7 Claims.

This invention relates to bending machines of the type usable for bending straight metal bars or rods into annular or substantially circular form by passing the bar between a series of rolls so that the bar is bent or wrapped about one of the rolls.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a machine of this kind of improved construction and readily adjustable for adapting the machine for bending the Work into circular shapes of different diameters. Another object of this invention is to provide a bending machine with means of improved and rugged construction for simultaneously adjusting a pair of rolls into different relationship to a third roll. Another object is to provide an improved adjusting mechanism of this kind with driven rolls which may be adjusted relatively to each other and to another roll without interrupting the driving connection with said driven rolls.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a bending machine of this kind with means for facilitating the removal of the finished work from the machine. Another object is to provide means of improved construction for supporting a roll of the machine in such a manner that it can be actuated by power operated means to move the roll into a position to facilitate the removal of the work therefrom. Still another object of this invention is to provide a machine of this kind with means for permitting a roll to move out of its operative position, if sub jected to excessive pressure, such as would tend to break the roll or its mounting. A further object is to provide a machine of this kind in which at least one of the rolls is held in its operative position by means of a pneumatically operated piston, which piston may also be actuated to move such roll into an inoperative position to facilitate the removal of the work therefrom.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a bending machine in which the parts are so arranged as to permit the rolls to be readily and accurately adjusted relatively to each other, and which is provided with means for facilitating the operation of the machine in such a manner as to increase the quantity of work which an operator can produce by means of the machine.

Other objects of this invention will be appar ent from the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation ofv a bending machine embodying this invention.

thereof, on line 5-5, Fig. 3, on an enlarged scale.

The machine illustrated in the drawingsis merely one embodiment of this invention, and it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular machine shown. The machine has a frame or base of any suitable or desired construction, and as illustrated, the frame may include a pair of horizontally extending spaced parallel channel beams M, which may be mounted upon any suitable support such as legs H. To these channel beams I0 is secured a suitable transversely extending frame member or channel beam l2, which supports an upright standard or column of any suitable construction, that shown including a pair of upright beams M of channel or U-shape cross section which are spaced apart, and which may be held in correct relation to each other at their upper ends by means of a connecting member or part l5 and welded or otherwise secured at their lower ends to the transverse frame member l2.

In the particular machine illustrated, three bending rolls are provided, an upper or inner roll A being arranged to engage that side of the work which will become the inner surface of the bent member or part formed by the machine, and a pair of lower or outer rolls B and C which engage the portion of the work which is to form the outer surface of the finished piece. The outer rolls B and C are preferably driven and the inner roll A is mounted to rotate freely on a stud axle l1 and is adjustable toward and from the outer rolls B and C on the upright column or standard formed by the beams I4. The outer rolls B and C are also adjustable toward and from the inner roll A and toward and from each other.

In accordance with my invention, the outer rolls B and C are suitably supported on the machine in such manner that these rolls are guided for movement toward and from each other and toward and from the roll A and about the axis of a driveshaft. Any suitable mechanism for guiding the rolls in this manner and for holding the rolls in the desired positions may be employed. By way of example, I have shown the guiding and adjusting means as comprising a plurality of links. These rolls receive rotary motion from a drive shaft 20 suitably journalled on the frame of the machine, that shown being driven from a, motor 2| arranged at one side of the maclune, through a speed reducing gear 22, the driven shaft 24 of which is connected by means of a suitable coupling 25 to the drive shaft 26. This shaft 26 may be journalled in any suitable or desired manner in bearings secured to the base of the machine. Bearings for this shaft may, for example, be provided on the upright supports 27, 28 and 29 secured to and extending upwardly from the frame or base In of the machine.

The shaft 28' has a gear 38 rigidly secured thereto, which meshes with two gears 3i and 32 secured on shafts 33 and 34 on which the rolls B and C respectively are also rigidly mounted. Consequently, when the shaft 20 is rotated, the rolls B and C are also rotated through the gear connections described.

In the construction illustrated, the outer rolls B and C are adjustable toward each other about the axis of the shaft 28 and for this purpose, the shaf 2t and the roll shafts 33 and 34 are connected by means of two pairs of links 35 and 35, the links 35 connecting the shaft 33 of the roll B with the shaft 213, and the links 35 connecting the shaft 3 5 of the roll 0 with the shaft 20. The two pairs of links 35 are arranged beyond the opposite ends of the roll C and the two links 35 are similarly arranged with reference to the roll 33. Because of this arrangement of the links, it will be obvious that as the rolls B and C are swung about the axis of the shaft 26, the gear 3% on the shaft 20 will remain in mesh with the gears 39 and 32 on the outer roll shafts throughout the adjustment of the rolls B and C toward and from each other.

I also provide means for simultaneously ad: justing the two rolls B and C relatively to each other and to the roll A by means of a single adjusting mechanism. In the construction shown for this purpose, I provide an adjusting screw 453 which extends transversely of the frame or .base

iii, and the ends of which are journalled in supports or brackets 4! suitably secured to the machine at opposite. sides of the base it and extending upwardly therefrom and a hand wheel or crank 2 may be secured to one end of the screw 46 to facilitate the desired adjustment of the same. The adjusting screw is provided with two threaded portions 63, one of which has a right hand thread and the other a left hand thread. These threaded portions engage with suitable nuts 4 which are rigidly secured to or form a part of slide pieces 45 having suitable sliding connections in guides extending transversely of the base of the machine. In the particular construction illustrated, guideways for the slide pieces are formed by means of suitable slideways which are welded or otherwise secured directly to the channel members iii of the base, and on which the bottom portions of the slide pieces 45 rest. Ihe slide pieces 45 are held in correct relation to the slideways 36 by means of bars 4'! which may be welded or otherwise suitably secured to adjacent parts of the machine. For example, one of these bars may be secured to the upright bearing support 2'3 of the drive shaft, and the other is shown as secured to an upright supporting bar 6-8 also secured to the channels Id of the base and extending upwardly therefrom.

Any other means for providing transverse guideways for the slide pieces 45 may, of course, be provided.

The slide pieces 45 are connected with the shafts of the outer rolls B and C by means of two pairs of links 58 and 5!. The two links 50 are pivotally connected at their upper ends to the roll shaft 33 beyond the opposite ends of the roll B, and the other ends of these links are pivoted to upwardly extending lugs 52 formed on one of the slide pieces $5. The other links 5| similarly connect the roll shaft 3d of the roll C with corresponding lugs 52 of the other slide piece 45.

By means of the construction described, it will be obvious that when the adjusting screw 40 is turned, the nuts it engaging therewith and the slide pieces 15 will be moved toward or from each other, depending upon the direction of rotation of the adjusting screw. The slide pieces 45 are shown in Fig. l, as arranged at the outer ends of their movement in engagement with the up-.

right adjusting screw supports 4!, and the outer rolls B and C are, consequently, spaced as far apart as possible. By turning the adjusting screw, the slide pieces 55 may be moved from the position shown in Fig. 4 toward each other so that the links 5?], 55 connected with the slide pieces move the roll shafts toward each other about the axis of the driving shaft 2G. The

pressure exerted by the work against the outer shafts B and C will, consequently, be distributed between the four pairs of links, and part of the pressure will be transmitted to the driving shaft while the other part of the pressure is taken up by the slide pieces #5, and thus transmitted substantially directly to the main frame or base of the machine. The described arrangement of the links is also very advantageous for the reason that when the work is to be bent to a smallradius, the outer rolls are brought more closely together by the operator so that the links which support these rolls assume more nearly'upright positions. Since the rolls are subjected to greater pressure by work which is being bent to a short radius, it follows that when the machine is thus subjected to the greatest strains, the links are in positions in which they and other parts of the adjusting mechanism can best resist such strains. The construction described makes it very easy to adjust the positions of the outer roll shafts B and C, since both of these shafts are simultaneously adjusted by the turning of the adjusting screw 40.

While I have shown in the drawings, a machine in which the outer rolls B and C are driven, it will be obvious that my adjusting mechanism may equally well be used on a machine in which the rolls B and C are idler rolls.

The upper or inner roll A may be journalled in any suitable or desired manner on the stud shaft or axle H and a disk or plate 58 is removably secured to the end of this shaft and holds the roll A on, the stud shaft, so that the roll can be easily removed and replaced by another roll of different size or shape. The other end of the stud shaft or axle ii is welded to or otherwise rigidly secured on a downwardly extending arm 59 of a lever pivoted on a pin 6!] extending through a slotted portion of an adjustable roll supporting bracket (ii. In the particular construction shown, the lower end of the arm 59 of the lever is enlarged to receive the stud axle and the upper portion of this arm of the lever fits into the slot formed in the lower portion of thesupporting bracket 6!, and this arm of the lever is integrally connected with another arm 62 of this lever. It will, consequently, be seen that the lever arm 59 may beswungabout the pin 68 into an operative position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, in which the axis of rotation of the inner roll A is parallel to the axes of the outer rolls B and C, and into a position'indicated in broken lines in Fig. 1, in which the roll A is swung upwardly from its operative position into an inclined position in which any work that may have been wrapped around the roll A can be readily removed therefrom. Means of any suitable kind may be provided for holding the supporting lever for the inner roll A in the desired position and preferably I accomplish this by means of a pneumatically actuated piston which may, for example, be arranged in a cylinder 65. The piston (not shown), which is arranged within the cylinder, is connected to a piston rod 66 having a suitable connecting part or pivot member 61 secured to the outer end thereof. The adjacent end of the lever arm 62 is slotted to receive the connecting part or pivot member 61 and these two parts are connected by means of a pivot pin 68 so that the lever may be actuated by the movement of the piston in the cylinder 65. In order to compensate for the lateral displacement of the pivotal connection of the lever arm 62, the cylinder 65 is preferably pivotally mounted on a forked extension 10 of the inner roll supporting bracket 6! and this may, for example, be accomplished by providing the cylinder 65 with a pair of outwardly extending trunnions -H suitably journalled in the forked extension 10 of the bracket 6|. Consequently, when the piston swings the lever arm 62 into the broken line position shown in Fig. 1, the cylinder 65 will swing slightly about its pivotal connection with the forked extension 10 of the bracket 6 l.

The cylinder 65 is provided with conduits or tubular connections 13 and "I4 connecting with passages extending into the upper and lower portions of the cylinder and any suitable connections may be provided, as well as an air valve (not shown) for controlling the admission and discharge of air or other fluid under pressure into either end of the cylinder. 1

Suitable stop means are preferably provided to ensure the holding of the roll A by the piston into a position in which the axis of the roll is parallel with the axes of the outer rolls B and C. In the construction shown for this purpose, this stop means is preferably adjustable, and for this purpose, I have provided an adjusting screw 15, Fig. l, which has a threaded engagement with an extension 16 of the roll supporting bracket 6|. The lower end of this screw engages a ledge or projection 11 on the lever arm 62. A lock nut 18 is preferably provided on the adjusting screw 15. By means of this construction, the upward movement of the lever arm 62 may be limited to a position in which the axis of the roll A is parallel to those of the rolls B and C. Any other adjustable stop means for positioning the lever so that the roll A will be held in correct relation to the other rolls may be employed.

In the operation of this portion of the bending machine, it will be noted that if air or other fluid under pressure is admitted through the duct 14 to the lower portion of the cylinder, thepiston therein will, of course, be urged upwardly until the stop projection 11 on the lever arm. 62 engages the stop screw 15. The roll A will then be in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1. If the outer rolls B and C are also adjusted in proper relation to the inner shell A, a bar or other work may be passed into the machine between the rolls and this bar will then be bent into the desired form. If the work is bent into substantially annular or circular form by wrapping the same about the roll A, the finished work can be readily removed from the machine by discharging air or other fluid from the lower end of the cylinder through the pipe 14 and admitting fluid to the upper portion of the cylinder, so that the roll A will be swung into the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 1, so that the work can readily be removed from the inner roll A.

It sometimes happens that the rolls are inadvertently subjected to excessive pressure by the work as might, for example, happen if a bar is bent too much so that the ends thereof overlap. When such overlapping ends pass between the rolls of bending machines as heretofore constructed, breakage is very apt to result. By means of the construction herein described, such break can be avoided, since the roll A is yieldingly held in its operative position by fluid pressure, particularly if the fluid is in the form of air or other gas. Excess pressure of the work between the rolls will swing the roll A upwardly toward the broken line position shown in Fig. 1 and this will in turn force the piston downwardly in the cylinder 65. If the fluid is compressible, this downward movement of the piston will compress the fluid to a greater extent and force some of the fluid out of the cylinder. If water or other non-compressible fluid is used, the downward movement of the piston will force some of the fluid out of the cylinder. In other words, while the fluid pressure in the cylinder 65 is ample to hold the roll in its operative position for all work for which the machine is designed, yet this pressure is a yielding one and can yield if the'rolls are subjected to excessive pressure, thus avoiding breakage.

The upper or inner roll supporting bracket BI is slidably mounted and guided on the upright frame members 14 of the machine, for example, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and the bracket may be adjusted vertically to position the roll A with relation to the rolls B and C, as may be desired. Any suitable means may be employed for accomplishing this purpose. As shown in the drawings, the bracket 6| is slidable vertically on the upright frame members M, a portion of the bracket extending between the two upright beams I4, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The bracket 6| may be adjusted vertically in any suitable manner, for example, by means of an adjusting screw 80 having a threaded engagement with a nut or internally threaded portion 8| which may be secured on or formed integral with the upper connecting member l of the upright standard or column formed by the beams M. The lower end of the adjusting screw 80 may be provided with a radially extending or enlarged flange 82, extending into an undercut slot 83 shown in broken lines in Figs. 1 and 2, in the upper portion of the bracket 6!, thus forming a swivel connection between the adjusting screw 80 and the bracket 6 I. The screw 80 may be adjusted in any suitable manner, for example, by means of a ratchet head 85 of well known construction mounted on the upper end of the screw and having a bar 86 secured thereto for turning the adjusting screw 80. 81 represents a part of a reversible ratchet mechanism of any suitable form whereby the shaft 80 may be turned in either direction by alternately swinging the arm 86 in opposite directions. Any other means for turn-- ing the adjusting screw 80 may, of course, be employed.

The machine described, in addition to having the advantages which have already been referred to, also greatly facilitates the production of work. By arranging the inner roll so that the same may be swung away from the outer rolls, the removal of finished work from the machine is greatly facilitated and avoids the necessity of actuating the adjusting screw for the outer rolls. Hence the adjustment for the work may be kept constant during the production of a number of pieces of the same kind.

I claim as my invention:

1. A bending machine including a roll, a frame having a guide, a member on which said roll is journalled and which is adjustable on said guide,

, a pair of rolls spaced relatively to said first roll to permit work to be bent to pass between said first roll and said pair of rolls, links on which said pair of rolls are journalled and which are pivoted to swing about a common axis toward and from each other and toward and from said first roll, other links extending from said last mentioned rolls outwardly away from said axis and each having one end thereof pivotally connected with one of said pair of rolls, and common adjusting means pivotally connected with the other ends of said other links for moving said other ends thereof toward and from each other to adjust each of said pair of rolls simultaneously and equally relatively to each other and to said first roll.

2. A bending machine including a roll, a frame having a guide, a member on which said roll is j ournalled and which is adjustable on said guide, a pair of rolls spaced relatively to said first roll to permit work to be bent to pass between said first, roll and said pair of rolls, a pair of links pivotally connected to each end of each of said pair of rolls, one link of each pair being pivotally mounted to swing about a common axis to enable said last mentioned rolls to move toward and from each other and toward and from said first roll, the other links of each of said pairs extending in a direction away from said axis, and common adjusting means pivotally connected with the other ends of said last mentioned links for moving said other ends thereof toward and from each other to adjust said last mentioned rolls simultaneously and equally relatively to each cther and to said first roll.

3. A bending machine including a roll, a frame having a guide, a member on which said roll is journalled and which is adjustable on said guide, a pair of rolls spaced relatively to said first roll to permit work to be bent to pass between said first roll and said pair of rolls, links on which said pair of rolls are journalled and which are pivoted to swing about a common axis toward and from each other and toward and from said first roll, other links extending from said last mentioned rolls outwardly away from said axis and each having one end thereof pivotally connected with one of said pair of rolls, slide pieces said pair of rolls are journalled and which are pivoted to swing about a common axis toward and from each other and toward and from said first roll, other links extending from said last mentioned rolls outwardly away from said axis and each having one end thereof pivotally connected with one of said pair of rolls, slide pieces to which the other ends of said other links are pivotally connected, means on said machine for guiding said slide pieces toward and from each other, and means engaging said slide pieces and simultaneously moving them toward and from each other for adjusting said rolls.

5. A bending machine in accordance with claim 4 characterized in that the adjustment of said slide pieces is effected by means of an adjusting screw having right and left hand threaded portions engaging said slide pieces for moving the same toward and from each other for adjusting said last mentioned rolls.

6. In a bending machine, the combination with a frame, of a plurality of rolls mounted on said frame, a lever pivotally mounted on said frame, another roll journalled on said lever with its axis extending transversely of the pivotal axis of said lever with said frame, means for positioning said lever for placing the roll pivoted thereon into and out of operative relation to said first rolls, pneumatic means including a piston, which is directly connected with said lever for swinging the same to move said roll mounted thereon into and out of operative relation to said first rolls and which holds said first roll yieldingly in its operative position, whereby said piston may be moved to permit said other roll to move away from said first rolls to prevent breakage.

7. A bending machine including three rolls arranged to permit work to be bent to be passedbetween one of said rolls and the two other rolls, a drive shaft for said two other rolls having a gear mounted thereon, gears rigidly connected with said two rolls and meshing with said drive shaft gear, means for guiding said two rolls for move ment toward and from each other and to and from said one roll about said drive shaft and for holding said gears in mesh, links for supporting said two rolls in the desired relation to each other, each of said links having one end thereof pivotally connected with one of said two rolls, and adjusting means upon which the other ends of said links are pivotally mounted for moving said links into different angular relations to each other for adjusting said two rolls.

WILLIAMC. TUCKER. 

